2 be a Master
by Reallifewriterwoman
Summary: Years have passed. Ash and Misty finally meet again. But they have both changed. And the world is changing too. (AAML and other pairings. Summary sucks, just read the story)
1. Chapter 1

Once upon a time there was a small 10-year old boy. He was from Pallet town and wanted to become the very best. He caught as much Pokemon as he did, but never became a Pokemon master. Cut to ten years later and that little boy had become a man.

"ARE YOU READY?"

An arena in Johto was full with spectators. A young guy with blond hair and a cap on was standing on his shaking legs in the battlefield. On the other side of the field was a 20-year old man with brown eyes and dark raven hair. He was wearing a red vest with white short sleeves. Underneath he wore a black t-shirt. He also wore dark blue pants, a smirk on his face and his cap over his head.

Between the trainers were a Pikachu and a bulbasaur. Pikachu was on the black haired guy's side and the other was on the other side.

"IT IS TIME FOR A BATTLE BETWEEN ASH REGINALD KETCHUM & JONAS GOLD! GO!" yelled the announcer.

The raven haired pulled his red cap over his eyes. He held his hand forward.

"Pikachu, let's go."

"Pika!"

The Pikachu charged towards the bulbasaur with extreme speed. The Bulbasaur looked back at his trainer with a frightened face.

"Bulbasaur!" Yelled Jonas.

* * *

 _CHAPTER ONE_

* * *

It was a hot summer day in Cerulean city. A young woman was sitting in the Cerulean gym. She was was sitting at the edge of the pool. Her hair was orange. It was down till just above her shoulders. She was wearing a yellow t-shirt with blue shorts. Over it she wore a white jacket with blue outlines.

This girl's name was Misty Waterflower, also known as the gymleader of Cerulean city and the tomboyish mermaid. She used to travel with Brock Harrison, the former gymleader of Pewter City and Ash Ketchum, the trainer. But when she was ten she took the gym over and stopped traveling.

Misty sighed and tilted her head back. Above her was her Togetic, floating above her head.

"Boring day, eh Togetic?" Said Misty.

"Togetic!" Said the Pokemon and it nodded it's head.

Misty giggled. She looked back at the pool and splashed with her feet in the water. This wasn't really exciting. It was such a warm day that most of the trainers went to the beach. No one had the energy to battle. Staryu was playing in the pool with Starmie and Corsola and Gyarados.

Her sister Daisy walked into the room. "Misty! Like, there is a friend who is calling you!"

"Oh. Okay." Misty jumped up and walked over to the video phone. In the old days they used to have screens with phones attached to them. Nowadays they just had a small thing that resembled a pc keyboard.

Misty walked into the hallway with Togetic behind her. She pushed the green button on the keyboard and a screen popped out. On the screen appeared a familiar face. A young woman with short purple spiked hair and a yellow sport coats smiled when she saw her.

"Misty! Long time no see!"

"Casey! How is it going?" Asked Misty. Casey was a friend from her who grew up in Johto. They met on one of their journeys.

"Good!" Casey gave her a thumb ups. "I'm home right now for a small break! I'm gonna go to the...Sinnoh region!"

"Dear mew!" Said Misty. "You are really becoming a good trainer!"

"Thank you!"

"Mega!"

Meganium , the starting Pokemon from Casey, jumped into the frame. It nuzzled with it's face against Casey who laughed at her and petted it on it's head. After shortly appearing into frame, the pokemon disappeared again.

"I'm traveling with Georgio." Said Casey.

Misty raised her eyebrows. "Georgio? Whoo, Casey!"

Casey became red and shook her head. "I don't like him!"

"Casey, come on. You two have been traveling for ages! Don't tell me you at least don't feel that spark!"

"I don't feel any spark for him! I only feel a spark with my Pokemon!"

"Mega!" Meganium jumped into the frame again together with Beedrill.

Misty almost fell over in anime style. She quickly gathered herself. "Uhm, Casey, where is he?"

"Toilet. Speaking of which..." Casey laughed awkwardly and sweat dropped. "Gotta go!"

The screen went black and folded back into the keyboard.

Misty looked back at Togetic. "Togetic, I miss her...I have no one..."

The phone went again. Misty immediately picked up. It was Delia, the mother of her childhood friend. She was more of a family to her than her sisters.

"Ah, Misty, good day!" Said Delia. She put her hand against her cheek. "I wondered if you would like to stay for tonight? I have cooked this huge dinner and I almost don't have anyone to eat dinner with..."

Misty sighed. "Okay...I guess I can be there by 6 if I take the bus."

"Good girl! I'll see you then! Oh and be a dear and take six of your Pokemon with you!"

The screen went out. Misty furrowed her eyebrows. That was...specific. 6 Pokemon? She guessed she could take Togetic, Staryu, Corsola, Gyarados, Psyduck and Dratini with her. Her other Pokemon stayed in the gym. Azurill was in Johto by doctor Elm. She lend the small Pokemon for doctor's Elm's research about water Pokemon.

She grabbed her Pokemon and her bus card. The ride would just take one and a half hour.

"Daisy, I'm eating at Delia's!" Yelled Misty before she left.

"Don't eat to much, like become fat!" Yelled Daisy.

Misty slammed the door behind her and walked to the bus station. She swung her bag over her shoulder. Togetic was flying close behind her.

She didn't look behind.

* * *

"Mime!"

Delia was calmly setting the table. It was 5:30 pm. Soon Misty would come. This time she was actually looking forward. Especially now that he was here, on the couch...Misty would be so surprised! And probably happy...mew, this was a good idea!

Mr Mime was busy setting the table. Delia was steering the the years Misty became a bit like her own daughter. And she always wanted a daughter. Sons were pretty difficult to understand. With Misty she could go shopping, gossip about celebrities, talk about-

"Delia, is the soup almost done?" Professor Oak walked into the kitchen. He was wearing his usual lab coat. "You have been steering forever."

"Sorry, but I just want this to be good! We have a special guest!"

"Misty comes here more than my grandson, so it isn't special..."

"Well, for me it's special." Said Delia. "Misty has become my family. My husband is busy controlling the world and my son is only focused on Pokemon."

"What about me and Tracey?" Yelled Oak.

"Okay, you and Tracey are like...my best friends?"

Oak rolled his eyes and grabbed a glass. He filled it with water. "I wonder how Misty will react?"

"She'll be fine."

"What if-"

The doorbell interrupted Samuel Oak. Delia immediately smiled.

"It's her!"

Delia let her soup be and ran for the door. She quickly tidied herself and then opened the door. It was indeed Misty.

"Sorry, I'm early!" Said Misty as she gave Delia a quick hug. "We had a very enthusiastic bus driver."

"Togetic!" Said Togetic behind her with a slightly trembling voice.

"Come in, come in..." Delia took Misty in. Misty sniffed around with a smile.

"Oh, it smells amazing!" Misty walked towards Oak. "Hey, professor Oak!"

"Misty! My, you have grown into a woman!"

Misty giggled with a blush. "Oh, I was here a few weeks ago, professor."

"I know, but I still see you as the little kid who was always angry."

Misty frowned at him. She wanted to say something when a small yellow creature ran into the kitchen.

"Pikachu-pi!"

The small mouse, Pikachu, jumped into her arms. Misty gasped in surprise. "Pikachu?"

"Pikapikapikapi!" Said Pikachu as it nuzzled against her.

"Wait, if Pikachu's here..." Misty looked at Delia who mouthed 'sorry'. And at the same moment they heard a yawn and footsteps.

"Pikachu, I told you to wait up."

Misty her eyes widened. That voice...those eyes...his cap, his hair, his jacket...

"Misty?!"

Ash Ketchum, her old childhood friend, was standing right before her eyes. He walked towards her with a little glint in his eyes. When he stopped in front of her she had to look up at him because he was a bit taller. He nervously gulped before speaking up.

"What are you doing here? Mom told me you wouldn't come. Mom!"

Delia smirked and held her hands up. "Sorry, but you need to stay more in contact, sweetie."

Misty her heart fluttered. His voice was much more...masculine. When was the last time she saw him? When he was 17. On his birthday. He would go up against the Elite four again. And he actually won! She remembered how she saw him on tv with a strange boy and girl by his side. She wanted to be there too, but the gym was in it's busiest season. She couldn't leave...after that she only saw him on tv. He was no longer the tiny brat, he slowly became one of the most popular trainers ever...and one of the hardest to defeat.

"I saw your match last week." Said Misty suddenly.

"Oh. Cool." Ash scratched his head. "What did you think?"

"You were a bit...rough on the kid."

"Rough?"

"Yes." Misty put Pikachu down. "Sometimes it's not bad to lose."

"Really? Then...wanna batte tomorrow?"

Misty looked up at him with confusion. "Eh?...I-"

"Okay, let's battle tomorrow! If I win then you owe me lunch! If you win then..."

"Then...you take me to lunch and...you buy me something I've always wanted!"

"Something you want? Yeah, right." Said Ash. He turned around and walked to the table. "Let's eat!"

"Pika!"

Misty sweat dropped.

* * *

Dinner went pretty well. Even though Ash and Misty weren't really talking to each other, Delia's and Oak's voices filled the void.

They asked how things were going for the two of them. Ash told him that he defeated another kid in the Arena, Misty told them about the gym...everything was going good. And after dinner they cleaned the table. Professor went back to his lap and Delia went up stairs to take a shower. Ash was sitting in front of the tv with Pikachu. Misty slumped down next to him.

"What are you watching?" Asked Misty.

"Some documentary." Ash glanced at Misty. She no longer had a side ponytail. She glanced back at him and he quickly turned back to the tv.

"Cool." Misty completely turned her head towards him. "Say...why no contact within three years?"

"I was busy."

"With what?"

"Business." Ash zapped through the channels on tv. "Plus, you could've asked mom for my phone number or something."

Misty folded her arms. "Sorry, but I was busy too! I can't drop by every week! I'm already here twice a month!"

Now Ash looked at her. "Twice a month?"

Misty glared at him. Ash chuckled and looked back at the tv. "A bit pathetic but alright."

Pathetic?! Misty unfolded her arms and looked at him with fierce eyes. "Sorry, mister, but I don't have the best relationship with my sisters. But like you care, you're never here in Kanto. You only come here for a quick bite and clean laundry and off you go, to another region or to an arena to humiliate another pour soul!"

"Right. Those trainers know what they're in for." Ash pulled the cap deeper over his eyes.

Misty immediately jumped up. She had it with his behavior.

"You're in for something tomorrow!" She pointed her finger at him. "I will defeat you, Ketchum! And I won't hold back!"

She stomped up the stairs, just past Delia who was in her pajama already.

Delia looked at Ash. "Ash..." She walked down the stairs. "You don't need to drive her out of the house!"

"I have too." Said Ash almost in a whisper. "If I don't...then she will brought into my world and get hurt."

"Pikapi..." Muttered Pikachu.

* * *

The next day Misty awoke by Togetic, who was shaking her.

"What Togetic?!" Said Misty with a yawn.

"Togetic!"

Togetic flew to the window and pulled the curtains away. Misty held her hands in front of her face.

"Togi, togetic!"

"I know it's morning!"

Misty jumped up. She put her clothes on and went down stairs. Delia was sitting at the dinner table.

"Sweetie, can you wake Ash up?" Asked Delia.

"I'm already up!" Ash walked down the stairs. His hair was still messy. Pikachu was sitting on his shoulder.

"Morning!" Delia put a few plates with bread down onto the table. The two sat down next to each other and Delia sat down as well. "You two need to eat before you battle...I remember when I used to battle against Oak..."

Misty wanted to grabbed the peanut butter, but Ash quickly took it before she could. Misty shot him a glare. She grabbed the cheese and glanced at Ash. He really changed over the years. He used to be a sweet kid. Sure, he could be dumb - and he still was a little - but he really used to care about his friends. And they used to be close. Now it felt like she was sitting next to a stranger. Misty took a bite from her bread. Stupid. She shouldn't have come. She didn't even want that one thing anymore. At least not from him.

Ash swallowed his bread. He took a big gulp from his tea and jumped up.

"Okay! Let's go, Misty!"

Misty swallowed her last bite. She quickly drank some juice and stood up too. "Fine. I already have my Pokemon with me, do you?"

Ash grinned and ticked with his finger on his belt. "Of course. Come on, let's go outside."

"Ah, ah!" Delia waved with her finger. "Dishes first!"

Ash groaned and walked back to the table.

* * *

After that they went to the nearby grass field. Ash stood on one side and Misty on the other. Delia and Oak were on the sidelines, looking on.

"Okay, shall we go three on three?" Yelled Misty.

"Fine by me!" Ash grabbed a poke ball and threw it up into the air. In a red flash a familiar pokemon appeared.

"Bay, bay!"

It was Bayleef, one of Ash's Johto Pokemon. Bayleef immediately turned back to Ash and tackled him to the ground. Ash stood up and petted Bayleef.

Misty giggled. At least one thing hadn't changed.

"Bayleef, I love you too, but please get back on the battlefield!" Said Ash with a laugh.

Bayleef nodded and walked back. Misty grabbed a poke ball from her belt.

"Okay, I choose you, Dratini!" Yelled Misty.

A red flash appeared and a pink Dratini appeared into the grass.

Ash folded his arms and smiled. "A shiny female Dratini. Nice, Misty..."

Misty clenched her fist. How did he knew that it was a female? Never mind. She ignored his words and threw her hand forward. "Dratini, use aqua tail!"

Dratini jumped up and water surrounded her tail. She swung it towards Bayleef. But Bayleef just calmly glanced back at Ash.

"Bay?"

Ash made a move with his fingers and nodded.

Bayleef suddenly leaped using her vine whip. Dratini missed but quickly turned around and tried to hit Bayleef again. Bayleef quickly dodged and kept dodging.

Misty looked at Ash. He looked too confident. And was he giving orders to his Pokemon by not even looking at them? Why...wait, she should be focusing!

"Dratini, dragon rage!" Yelled Misty.

Dratini's body lit up. It immediately rushed towards Bayleef. Bayleef was hit, but kept it's ground. It slid a few meters away.

"Body slam." Said Ash suddenly.

Bayleef dashed towards Dratini while Dratini was still in her 'dragon-rage' state.

The two clashed into each other. Mud was flying through the air. Misty held her hand in front of her face.

 _' Shit, I can't see a thing..._ ' Thought Misty. She noticed how calm Ash stayed. _' No, wait, concentrate! Say something before he makes a next move!'_

"Dratini stand back and use aqua tail!" Yelled Misty.

Dratini quickly jumped a few meters back. So did Bayleef. Water surrounded Dratini's tail again. Dratini jumped towards Bayleef again. Ash made a small signal with his fingers. Bayleef immediately gathered solar energy above her head. Misty smirked. Of course, a solar beam.

She held her eyes onto Dratini. Dratini looked one second at Misty.

Then the solar beam flew towards her.

Dust flew around and they didn't see something for a moment. For a second Ash thought he had won. But when the dust cleared, he only saw Bayleef standing on the field. He looked up and saw Dratini a few meters above Bayleef.

Misty grinned. She nodded towards Dratini.

"Dratini!"

Within a second Dratini's tail got surrounded by water again. But this time her tail also lit up.

"Dragon rage!" Yelled Misty.

 _Dragon rage?_ Ash raised his eyebrows. Was this...?

Dratini's whole body lit up. She rushed down with another cry and hit Bayleef with her tail. Bayleef fell down and slid a few meters back. Dratini cooled down and jumped back.

Bayleef was down.

"M-Misty wins!" Yelled Oak.

Dratini and Misty both cheered. Dratini jumped in her arms and they hugged. Ash called Bayleef back into his poke ball.

"Good job, Bayleef." He whispered.

Ash looked at Dratini and Misty. He smiled. Misty still had a good bond with her pokemon. He grabbed another poke ball. "Mist, ready?!"

Misty recalled Dratini back into her poke ball. "Ready! I choose Staryu!"

A red flash and Staryu appeared onto the battlefield.

"Hyaa!" Said the Pokemon.

Ash threw a pokeball as well. A Wartortle appeared onto the field.

A Wartortle? Okay, that was cool. But Misty didn't waste a second and yelled her command.

"Staryu, Gyroball!"

Blue light appeared at the end of the spikes of Staryu. It then started to spin towards Wartortle. Wartotle quickly dodged it. Staryu spun up into the air and back towards his opponent.

"Hydropump." Said Ash.

Wartortle shot a splash of water towards Staryu.

"Staryu, retreat and use light screen!" Yelled Misty.

Staryu stopped spinning. It fell down to the ground. The lights on his spikes disappeared. A lit up screen appeared in front of Staryu just in time. The hydropump was reflected.

"Bubblebeam!"

Ash and Misty both yelled it at the same time. The two pokemon shot little bubbles at each other. The bubbles disappeared.

"Hidden power." Said Ash.

Misty gasped. She shook her head again. "Staryu, jum-"

Suddenly water beamed from underneath Staryu. It hit the pokemon so hard that it flew up and then hit the ground.

"Staryu is unconscious!" Said Oak.

"Yeah!" Said Ash. "We win!"

Misty sighed and recalled Staryu. "I'm sorry for pushing you too hard, Staryu..." Said Misty to her poke ball. She looked at Ash again with a glare. He recalled his Pokemon too. Okay, now it was time for the final round. She had to win this.

Misty threw her poke ball up. "Go, Gyarados!"

Ash grinned when the giant Pokemon appeared and it roared. So, Misty was using brute force , huh? He threw his poke ball and Charizard appeared.

Misty gasped. "Are you crazy?!" She yelled. "You have no control over him..."

She stopped mid sentence when she saw Charizard calmly looking at Ash. Ash nodded towards Charizard and made a small move with his fingers.

Charizard immediately flew towards Gyarados.

"Gyarados, hydropump!" Yelled Misty quickly.

Gyarados fired a big wave of water from his mouth towards Charizard. Charizard dodged it and hit Gyarados with a Wing attack. Gyarados was hit, but kept his ground. Misty saw Ash making another sign with his fingers. Dammit, what was he doing? Signing to his Pokemon? She didn't have time to think when Charizard flew towards Gyarados again.

"Hyperbeam!"

Gyarados threw a hyper beam at Charizard. Charizard was hit and slides a few meters back. But it immediately flew towards Gyarados again. It was a bit bruised, but it didn't care.

"Crunch!"

Gyarados tried to bit him, but Charizard dodged it. The opponent started to flew around Gyarados in little rounds. Fire slowly started to follow Charizard until flames surrounded Gyarados.

"Gyarados!" Yelled Misty. In panic she ran towards her Pokemon. "Gyarados, use water pulse!"

Gyarados started to lit up. Misty held her arms in front of her eyes. She was just a few meters away and the light was blinding her. A pulsing blast of water came from Gyarados body. Misty saw the scalding water coming towards her. She shrieked when she was yanked away by her shoulders and hit the ground. She saw Ash's jacket in front of her eyes...wait...was he protecting her?

When the light was gone Misty immediately pushed Ash away with a slight blush and looked at the battlefield and gasped. Ash saw it too. The Pokemon were both out. And Delia and Oak were both protected by Mr mime blocking the attack.

"Ash..." said Delia with a stern look.

Ash quickly stood up. He called his Pokemon back. Misty jumped up too with a frown. "What the hell was that?!"

"What was what?" Asked Ash calmly.

"Ash!" Said Delia. Misty recalled her Pokemon back.

Ash turned around with a fearful look.

"This isn't an arena, mister! You can't use your strongest attacks on someone!" Yelled Delia.

"Mom, I just needed to win..."

"Well, you didn't, mister! You are going to get grounded...no, you're all grown up..."

Ash sighed in relief. "Oh, thank mew..."

"You are going to take Misty with you into town for lunch and for once be a gentleman!"

"But...!"

"No buts!"

* * *

And so they went into town. Ash was slumping through the mall of Pallet Town with Misty next to him.

"Don't be so down, Ash!" Said Misty. She was holding Pikachu in her arms and walking with pride. "Sure, technically it was a tie and you would have won if I hadn't told Gyarados to use water pulse...but you get to take me out!"

"Take you out? On what a date?"

Misty looked away from him with blush. "A-a d-date? No way!"

"Hm, you're right. I would never date someone as scrawny as yo-"

Misty hit him onto his head. "Shut the hell up!" She then grabbed his arm with a smile. "Come on, let's go eat!"

As Ash was dragged away he was confused. First Misty was angry at him for calling her scrawny and now she was happily dragging him to the cafe...the hell?

He sighed heavily. Women...

They sat down at a table at a small cafe. Misty took a sandwich and coffee and Ash took a hamburger and cola.

Misty leaned on her elbow and looked at Ash who was eating his hamburger. Was she still in love with him? Were they even still friends? All those questions kept swirling around in her head. Why was she even worried about all of this? He shouldn't mean anything to her. He was the one who left!

"Mist, are you okay?" Asked Ash suddenly.

Misty folded her arms. "I'm fine..." She grabbed her sandwich. "Just don't call me by my nickname..."

"Nickname?" Ash furrowed his eyebrows and then his eyes lit up. "Oh, that little thing! I always call you that. What's wrong with that?"

Misty took a bite and swallowed it down. "Everything...anyway, I wanted to buy a new watch. I worked very hard and I will buy it!"

Ash chuckled. Her eyes were full of determination. He would guess that the watch had something to do with water pokemon...

"It has a Squirtle on it and the alarm sounds like waves!"

He guessed right. Ash looked at Pikachu who was licking at the ketchup bottle. The Pokemon was sitting under the table Togetic was next to Misty, eating a small piece of fruit.

"Say, how are your sisters?" Asked Ash.

Misty was just done with her sandwich. "My sisters? They're fine. Annoying as always."

"I bet."

"Anyway, are you almost done? I really want to go and buy that watch..."

"Sorry, I can't eat as fast as you!" Said Ash annoyed.

Misty stood up. "Fine. I'm going to the store. You know which one it is. Go find me if you're ever done."

Ash stuck his tongue out when Misty left the cafe with Togetic following her. He looked down at Pikachu who looked up at him.

"Stupid girl." Said Ash.

"Pi..." Said Pikachu while shaking it's head.

Ash looked around the cafe. He noticed two people in dark outfits walk into the cafe. He cursed and stood up. Not them...

He quickly paid the bill and left the cafe with Pikachu. He had to find Misty and leave.

* * *

Misty was looking at the many watches in the store. Some of them had a Pikachu on it, others bugs...She shivered. Ugh, she hated bugs. Except for Butterfrees, beauty flies...Ah, the Squirtle one!

She grabbed it and showed it to Togetic. "Togetic, isn't it beautiful?"

"Togetic?" Asked Togetic confused.

Misty walked to the counter. "How much?" She asked to the shop assistent behind the counter.

"Fifty-five poke dollars." Said the man.

Misty paid and put the watch around her wrist. She smiled happily at it. It was beautiful...

"Misty!"

She turned around to see Ash running towards her.

"Ash! I was just-"

"No time, we gotta go!" Said Ash. He grabbed her wrist and wanted to drag her along with him.

"Go? B-but we are just here...I wanted to walk around a bit more..."

"Look, we really have to go!"

Misty noticed how frantic he sounded. Was he afraid or something? "Ash, you're acting strange..."

"I'm not! Misty, we really need to go back home! Immediately! I'll explain everything once we are home!"

"Okay, okay, geez!"

They both ran out of the store and out of the mall.

When they arrived back home Misty had a lot of questions for him, but Ash immediately grabbed his bag. His mother asked him what was wrong, but when she saw him grabbing his bag she knew.

"You have everything with you?" Asked Delia. Ash nodded.

Misty looked at Ash. She folded her arms and frowned. "Ash, what is happening? Why did we need to leave and why are you leaving?!"

"First of all, I did you a favor." Ash threw his bag over his shoulder. "Secondly. I have a good reason to. Just stay here for a night and go back to Cerulean."

"Don't give me orders!" Misty grabbed her own bag as well. "I'm going with!"

"No, you're not."

"I am!"

"You're not!"

"Yes, she is."

Ash looked at Delia. She looked at him with a frown. "Mom, what?"

"You need someone to rely on. I know that you don't want anything to happen to her, but she is trusting you. Plus, she can accompany you to Viridian and then she can go back..."

"I guess that's okay." Muttered Ash. He looked at Misty. "Come on. Let's go then."

He said goodbye to his mother and Oak and left with Misty to Viridian City.

* * *

In Viridian City there was a big office building. Two men in dark suits walked into the building.

"You two are finally back."

The men turned around with a fearful look on their faces. Behind them was a man in a dark suit. His face was covered by a dark hat.

"Sir!" The men bowed down. "We are so sorry! We weren't able to capture Suicune!"

"Again? Well...time for some punishment then."

A big Rhyhorn appeared behind him. The men looked at up in fear.

"Sir, we're truly sorry!"

The man with the hat turned around. He calmly walked out of the room while the men screamed.

"Sorry is not good enough. Never."

 ** _TO BE CONTINUED_**


	2. Chapter 2

In Viridian City there was a big office building. Two men in dark suits walked into the building.

"You two are finally back."

The men turned around with a fearful look on their faces. Behind them was a man in a dark suit. His face was covered by a dark hat.

"Sir!" The men bowed down. "We are so sorry! We weren't able to capture Suicune!"

"Again? Well...time for some punishment then."

A big Rhyhorn appeared behind him. The men looked at up in fear.

"Sir, we're truly sorry!"

The man with the hat turned around. He calmly walked out of the room while the men screamed.

"Sorry is not good enough. Never."

* * *

 _CHAPTER TWO_

* * *

Ash and Misty were walking down the road. It was slowly getting dark. And they were getting tired.

"We should stop somewhere." Said Ash suddenly. He stopped in his tracks and pointed ahead. "There is a poke center up ahead. We can take two rooms there and let our Pokemon rest."

Misty nodded. They proceeded down the road for a few more minutes until they arrived at a small Pokemon center.

They wanted to get two rooms, but there was only one room left available. They would need to share a bed together...for crying out loud

"Seriously...just why?" Muttered Misty. They were in the room. She was sitting on the bed and taking her shoes off. She glanced at Ash, who was looking down as his poke gear. "Since when do you have a poke gear?"

"Since a few years ago. Very handy. I can check the map on this and call people and listen to some radio when I'm on the road."

Misty sighed and lay with her back onto the bed. "Can I borrow it? I need to call my sisters."

"Mom already called Daisy." Ash put his back down onto the desk in the room.

Misty jumped up and walked over to Ash. "So, what do you bring on our little adventure?"

"First of all; it's not our adventure. It's not an adventure. It is just a small trip to Viridian City. When we arrive you go back to Cerulean. And second; I take supplies with me. Potions for pikachu..."

"Pika!" Chirped Pikachu.

"Money...other stuff..."

Misty saw something shiny. She quickly pulled it out of his bag before Ash could stop her.

"A gun?!"

A metal gun lay in her hands. It was grey and shiny. She looked at Ash with wide eyes.

"So?"

"Why the hell do you need a gun?! To kill people?! Do you even know how to use it?!"

"I don't kill people, I need it to defend myself, just in case...and I learned how to use it."

He pulled the gun away from her hands and put it back into his bag. Misty walked back to the bed in silence while Ash closed his bag. She pushed her bag down onto the ground and lay down onto the bed. She sighed. Ash walked to the bed as well and lay down next to her on his back.

"What are you going to do in Viridian City?" Asked Misty. She looked up at the ceiling. A car passed and the ceiling lit up for a second.

"Something."

"Like what?" Misty giggled a little. "Meeting your girlfriend?"

"Haha." Ash rolled his eyes. "I don't have a girlfriend. I had this friend who liked me, but she fell in love with someone else after I left."

"Who? Serena? Come on, Ash. You should have gone for her. She was perfect! She even kissed you!"

Ash turned around with his back on her. "I wasn't in love with her. And I don't want anyone who falls in love with me...I want...something more."

Misty blushed and held her hands close to her chest. Something more? She never thought that Ash had such deep feelings. Maybe he really matured a bit more than she thought. But that thing with the gun...she never thought that he would carry a gun. She still had the little kid in her head who would always catch Pokemon and fight Team Rocket...

Maybe she should have chosen Rudy.

* * *

The next morning Misty awoke to the sunlight on her cheek.

It was warm. Really warm. Even though she wasn't under the covers it was pretty warm. But something lay on her chest...something soft.

She turned her head to her side and froze. Ash was laying on his back with a smirk on his face. His hand was on her chest. There was still fabric and a bra between his hand and her skin, but Misty still felt embarrassed.

"Ash!" She yelled into his ear.

Ash his eyes shot open. He immediately retracted his hand and sat up. "What, what?!"

Misty sat up too and crossed her arms over her chest. "You were fondling me in your sleep! Your hand...just don't do it again, pervert!"

"I didn't mean to do it! Geez, stop being so prude!"

He jumped up from the bed. Misty stood up too. She walked towards the bathroom. "I'm gonna go take a quick shower."

"Go at it." Ash opened up his bag and pulled a clean t-shirt from it. "I'm just gonna change into a clean t-shirt."

"Gross." Whispered Misty. She walked into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. Then she realized that she forgot a towel. She opened the bathroom door again and stopped in her tracks.

 _Oh dear mew._

There was Ash. And he was just shirtless. In his hand he was holding his clean t-shirt. The dirty one lay on the bed.

"What?" Asked Ash.

Misty quickly walked past him, grabbed the towel and shut the bathroom behind her.

She pulled her clothes off and put the shower on. She stepped underneath the shower when the water was warm.

 _He looked more muscular than I remembered and..._ Misty shook her head. _Get it together! He is nothing more than a jerk!_

"Hey, Misty!" Yelled Ash. "I'm gonna see what Nurse Joy gives the patients for breakfast! I'm also gonna see if our Pokemon are healed!"

"Sure!"

She heard the door slam. Good, he was gone...idiot.

* * *

Ash and Pikachu were standing by the counter. Nurse Joy was just handing him the Pokemon.

"Nurse Joy, can I also have Misty's Pokemon? I'll bring her to our room."

"Sure...such a gentleman for your girlfriend." Said Joy with a smile. She handed him the poke balls.

"Girlfriend?!"

"Yes...you two were bickering so much...wait, you two aren't dating?"

"No. We are just travel partners."

"Oh my..." Nurse Joy put her hand against her cheek. "Then I made an accusation. I am so sorry!"

"It's fine. Say, do you give any food to trainers?"

"Uhm...no...but we do have a vending machine with sandwiches." Said Joy.

"Oh...okay..." Ash walked to the vending machine and took two sandwiches and two sodas. He walked back to their room. Misty was sitting on the bed, all dressed. She looked up at him when he stepped into the room.

"Here, I got your Pokemon." Said Ash. He handed her the poke balls. He sat down next to her and unwrapped the sandwiches. "We don't have much for breakfast. Just two sandwiches and some orange soda...which one?" He held the sandwiches up with a grin. "Cheese or Salami?"

"Cheese, obvious."

"Okay, salami it is." Said Ash.

"Ash, give me the one with cheese!" Yelled Misty. "You're not being funny!"

"Okay, okay, okay..." Ash threw the sandwich with cheese into her hands. He leaned a bit closer with a laugh. "Just Ash'in ya!"

"Oh, haha...idiot..."

Misty took a bit from her sandwich and looked away with a little smile. Okay, even though that was dumb it was a little bit funny...

They ate their sandwiches and finished their drinks. After they were done they left the center and went further down the road.

It was a warm day. No rain. But the warmth wasn't good when you walked in the blazing sun on a deserted road.

They stopped down by a river to freshen up and to drink a bit.

"Say, you wanna fly on Charizard?" Said Ash.

"Huh?"

Ash called out Charizard. The fire-dragon Pokemon roared loudly and spat out fire.

"Yeah, I'm not..."

Ash grabbed her hand and dragged her towards Charizard. He then grabbed her by her waist and put her onto Charizard's back.

"This is quicker."

"Get me down!" Yelled Misty with a blush.

Ash jumped onto Charizard with Pikachu. Misty was behind him.

"Okay, Charizard, Viridian City!" Yelled Ash.

Charizard roared and flew up into the air. Misty shrieked and immediately grasped Ash his jacket.

Ash smiled. The wind rustled through his hair. He loved flying on Charizard. It felt like all his worries faded away. Every little problem he had would disappear in flight. He looked over his shoulder back to Misty. She was fearfully holding his jacket.

"Mist. Open your eyes."

Misty slowly opened her eyes and gasped. The sight was beautiful. She could see the woods from above. Sometimes she saw people walk or battle!

"Whoa..." Said Misty.

Ash felt her relax a little. "Pretty, right? "

Misty nodded. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned with her head against his back. Ash blushed a little and he quickly looked back forward.

He sighed. He should enjoy this moment. Because when they would arrive at Viridian City...he might never see her again.

* * *

Delia looked out of the window. Mr Mime was behind her cleaning the room.

 _I wonder if he is alright...I'm worried about Misty as well._ Thought Delia.

She shrieked when she suddenly felt something buzz in her pocket. She grabbed it an recognized the caller ID.

"It's him..." She muttered. "My husband..."

* * *

They flew down into Viridian City. No one looked up when they landed down onto the streets. It was normal for people to land into the streets with Charizards or any other flying types.

Ash jumped off. He turned to Misty with a smile. Misty expected him to help her off, but instead he recalled Charizard and Misty fell onto the ground.

"Aargh! Ketchum!" Misty jumped up with an annoyed look. "The hell?!"

"What? I needed to recall Charizard."

"I don't care! If you were a gentleman you would help me off!" Yelled Misty.

Ash raised his eyebrows. "Since when am I a gentleman? Since I rubbed your chest this morning?"

"You didn't...You were asleep! Plus, that isn't what a gentleman does!"

Ash grabbed his poke gear and typed a number in. He held the gear close to his ear as he called someone. Misty stepped a bit closer to eavesdrop, but Ash turned his back on her.

"Hello? Yeah, I'm in the neighborhood...I've seen them following me...yeah..." Ash glanced at Misty for a second and then looked at the ground. "Does that matter? Look, I'm coming by. Even though I hate you...yeah, see ya."

Ash turned it off and looked at Misty.

"Mist, you're going back to Cerulean. Now."

"What? But we just got here! I would stay with you, remember?" Said Misty.

"You would go with me 'till Viridian!" Said Ash. He grabbed her by her shoulders. "You won't accompany me to him, no matter what, I will not let you get hurt! Now, just go back to Cerulean and we won't ever meet again!"

Misty stayed quiet for a second. She then looked down and stepped back. "You're right...we should have never met..."

"Misty, wait..."

She pushed him away and stepped back. Misty turned away. She quickly ran to the other side.

Ash stayed frozen in his place. This was better...this way she wouldn't get hurt, right?

"Pikapi?" Said Pikachu.

Ash looked down at Pikachu. "I know...I'm a jerk." He clenched his fist and looked up again. He saw Misty disappear into the crowd. This wasn't right. Misty was too important for him...

"Misty!" Yelled Ash.

But she didn't hear him and disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

Misty stomped through the crowd. How could he even say that? She thought...

She stopped in her tracks and looked up at the sky. People passed her without even looking at her.

"I thought we were friends..." Whispered Misty.

Apparently Ash thought different...She clenched her fist. Argh! She should just go home with the bus! She would get back to her normal life and forget all about Ash 'I don't need any help' Ketchum! Hell, she might even fall in love with Rudy who was always sending her sweet letters! They would get married and live happily ever after while Ash could go rot in hell!

 _"Look, I'm coming by. Even though I hate you...yeah, see ya."_

Who was Ash talking to? Someone he was going to see, that was for sure. But why would he want her to go home? Was he in trouble? If he was...

She groaned and turned around. Damn, him! Wait, where could he have gone to?

Misty pulled her poke ball out and called Togetic.

"Togetic!" The pokemon happily flew in front of her.

"Togetic, can you sense where Ash has gone to?"

"Toge!"

The pokemon's eyes lit up for a second. He then started to chirp and fly off.

"Togetic? Wait up!"

Misty dashed after Togetic into the unknown.

* * *

Ash stood in a big hallway. There he was in the headquarters of TR. Also known as Team Rocket.

"Pikachu?"

Pikachu was on his shoulder, looking worried and alert. Ash petted him on the head.

"Calm down. We are just here to see him. Nothing more." Whispered Ash.

A woman in a dark TR-suit walked towards him. "Mr Ketchum?"

Ash nodded.

"He is ready to see you."

Ash walked after the woman. The went up some stairs. The woman let him into a big office. There someone was sitting behind his desk in a chair turned with his back on them.

"Sir, Ash Ketchum is here." Said the woman.

"Good. You are dismissed." Said the figure in the chair.

The woman left the office quickly, leaving the two alone.

The man turned around in his chair. He stood up and walked up to Ash.

This man's name was Giovanni. The former gymleader and the boss of Team Rocket, the crime organization. He had brown short hair and always wore a dark suit. He was the enemy of many trainers, but more importantly; he was Ash his father.

"Ash." Giovanni smirked. "What a pleasure to finally see you again!"

"I wish I could say the same. Why did you send your goons after me?" Said Ash.

Pikachu jumped onto the ground and hissed against the pet persian of Giovanni.

"I did not. They were on a separate mission. However, I did hear that you flew to this town accompanied by a certain red-head."

Ash gritted his teeth. "Leave her out of this."

"Who? Misty Waterflower? Come on, my son, you know me better than that. I have no interest in underdeveloped girls like her."

"Why did you want to see me?" Said Ash, deciding to change the subject.

Giovanni walked around Ash. "I've seen you in battle, Ash. And I must say that you have really progressed over the years."

Ash kept quiet. Giovanni walked around him and stopped in front of Ash. He looked down at him with a smirk.

"You are defeating the weak ones, your Pokemon are stronger than ever, you realized that friendship doesn't mean a thing and you have even trained your Charizard! You are really becoming a good boy!"

"I'm nothing like you..." Said Ash through gritted teeth.

"Oh, you are. I can see the anger in your eyes...but you still have a bit of niceness in your eyes...like Delia..."

"What do you want?"

"I want you to follow me up. To take the company over one day!" Yelled Giovanni. "You have the potential, Ash!"

"Dad, I don't wanna. I wanted to be a Pokemon Master...and I have almost become that." Ash folded his arms. "There is no way that you can convince me."

"Fine...then at least stay for some food. You must come a long way."

"Sure..." Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder. He looked at it's trainer with a frown. Ash petted it on it's head to reassure it.

* * *

Misty looked at the big building. It was Team Rocket's headquarters. Big and scary.

"Toge?"

"Good job, togetic. Return." Misty recalled her Pokemon back into it's poke ball. So Ash was here...she just needed to find a way in. Misty noticed an air shaft against a wall. It was small, but big enough for her to climb through. The guards were on the front and this shaft was on the side, so they didn't even notice her.

Misty sneaked past the guards. She jumped up to the air shaft. She just made it and climbed into the steel shaft.

She crawled through the shaft. When she would hear his voice then she would break in...hopefully they didn't hear her. The metal felt cold against the bare skin of her legs. But she used to swim in cold waters so she was a bit used to it.

She heard Ash his voice. Misty also heard another strange voice. She pushed the frame out of the shaft and jumped down.

Misty fell right down onto the ground. She immediately jumped up and was ready to fight anyone off, but then froze in her tracks.

"Misty!"

Ash was at a dinner table with Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket.

"Ash?" Misty shook her head. "The hell?! I thought you were in danger! Why are you eating here all relaxed?!"

"I'm having some lunch with my dad, excuse you."

"Excuse me?! First you push me away, then I come to save your ass and you just sit here..."

Giovanni stood up. He calmly walked over to Misty and stopped in front of her. Misty backed a little away.

"Misty Waterflower. The fourth Cerulean sister...it is a pleasure to meet you." Giovanni extended his hand and pushed her against her back to the table. "How about you join us, miss Waterflower? We have a lot to discuss."

Misty sat next to Ash. Her stomach rumbled when she saw the delicious bread.

"Help yourself, miss Waterflower..." Giovanni looked back at Ash. "Now...where were we?"

Ash scraped his throat nervously. He could feel Misty's glare on him. "Uhm...we...we were talking about the other organization. It was called...?"

"Team Force. They are the real threat. They are not only threatening my company, but they are also after you, Ash."

"Team Force? You mean the ones on tv?" Asked Misty.

Ash and Giovanni looked at her. "On Tv?"

"Yeah..wait, do you have a tv around here? Then I can show you."

Giovanni stood up. "Follow me."

Ash and Misty walked after him into another room, where a TV the size of a wall was hanging. Giovanni clapped into his hands.

"Tv, find a program with Team Force!"

The tv cracked and bleeped for a few seconds.

"So this is were all the money from Team Rocket goes to." Whispered Ash to Misty with a sweat drop.

"No kidding." Whispered Misty back.

The tv went on and showed Team Force on a talk show, showing their Pokemon off.

"Yeah, there they are!" Said Misty. She clapped in her hands. "Those are Team Force...they are really famous for their shows and their charity deals."

Ash looked at the four men on the screen. One was a man with blue hair with a squirrel by his side, the other was a man with dark hair and grey eyes with a Seviper, another man had silver hair and a Absol and the last man was a man wit brown hair, green eyes and a Butterfree by his side.

"Team Force has been in our way for quit a long time." Giovanni looked at the man with angy eyes. "Those people aren't as nice as they seem."

"Let me guess, I need to take them out?" Asked Ash.

Giovanni smirked at him. "Not quite. First, you need to find out more information about them. You could do that by going to their boss."

"And where is their boss?"

"Goldenrod City." Said Giovanni. "It is where their headquarters are."

Ash lowered his cap. Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder. "Okay. Come on, Pikachu, let's go."

"Wait!" Misty yelled. "What about me?!"

Ash looked confused at Misty. "What about you?"

"Shouldn't...shouldn't I go with you?" Asked Misty.

"Only if you can keep up!"

Ash laughed and ran out of the room. Misty immediately chased after him.

"Get back here, ketchum!" Yelled Misty.

Giovanni chuckled and turned the Tv off. He looked down at his Persian with an evil smirk.

"Ah, to be young..."

* * *

Ash walked out of Viridian City with Misty running after him.

"Ash, wait up!" Yelled Misty.

Ash stopped walking and turned around to face her. Misty caught up with him and caught her breath.

"You do realize that you can return back to Cerulean, don't you?" Said Ash.

"What do you mean? I follow you anywhere."

Ash clenched his fist. "I know that. But if you follow me, you will follow me into the dark."

"I'm fine with that. We're friends, remember? Even if you push me away I'll stay with you. Unless you really do something horrible."

"You do realize that Giovanni is my father, right?"

Misty shrugged. "So? It was a bit of a shock at first, but I got over it...I even have a weirder father."

"What do you mean?"

She smiled at him. "Nothing. Now, is there a faster way to get to Goldenrod City?"

"The train. I can't fly with Charizard into Goldenrod. It is too busy there to land."

Misty pulled her bag over her shoulder. "Then Goldenrod it is."

* * *

Later they were sitting in the train to the big city. Misty was sitting next to Ash and Pikachu in a coupe. Ash was playing a game on his phone and Pikachu was looking out of the window.

She glanced at Ash. His cap was almost falling off his head. She almost saw him without his cap. Why was he even wearing that cap so long? It covered his forehead up and she wanted to see his forehead...

"I wanna see it."

"Hm?" Ash looked at Misty with a confused look. Misty turned red and looked away.

"Nothing!" She jumped up. "I think I'll get us some food! I'm very hungry!"

"Mist, your face is all red..."

"My f-face? No, it isn't!" Misty turned her back on him. "I'll go and get us some food!"

"Okay. Oh, also get some food for Pikachu!"

"Yeah, yeah." Misty walked out of the coupe. She walked through the coupe to the bar. A few kids ran past her when she arrived at the bar. The bartender turned around with a smile on his lips.

"Can I help you, miss?"

"Yes. Can I have two sodas, two sandwiches and a small bag of poke food?" Asked Misty.

"Sure."

The bartender handed her the supplies and she walked back to the coupe. There was Ash still sitting in his seat. He looked up when Misty walked in with the supplies in her arms. She lay the supplies down on the seat and sat down next to Ash.

"Here we have a wide arrange of food supplies, mr Ketchum." Misty blew her hair out of her face. "Choose your pick."

"I'll choose the poke food, miss Waterflower."

"Huh?"

Misty looked at him. Ash was grinning at her as he tipped his hat. He opened the poke food bag with a sly smile on his face. He took one small piece and put it into his mouth.

He immediately spat it out. "Never mind. Can I have some human food, Mist?"

"Nope. You already choose the pokemon food."

"What? But I was just joking!" Ash tried to grab one of the sandwiches, but Misty pulled the packed sandwiches out of his reach.

"Nah, nah, you wanted the pokemon food, you get the poke food."

"Misty! Give me back my sandwich! I earned that!"

Misty scoffed. "Earned?!"

"Yeah! I took you out for food, let you in on my family-secret, let you travel with me..."

"Let me travel with you?!" Misty became red. "What do you mean by that?! Let me travel with you?! How can you?!"

"Okay, okay..."

Misty sighed. But before she could say anything Ash snatched the sandwich out of her hand with a big grin.

"Hey!" Yelled Misty.

"I allowed you to travel with me." Said Ash.

Misty tried to take the sandwich back, but Ash held it out of her reach.

"Give that sandwich back!" Misty moved even closer. She pouted as Ash held the sandwich above his head. Ash kept grinning widely at her. He of course loved it how mad he could get her. Misty looked up at the sandwich. Her eyes glanced back at Ash's face. She wanted to wipe his smirk of that face, to hit him, to...

"I wanna see his forehead..." Whispered Misty suddenly.

"Pika?" Asked Pikachu.

"Huh?"

Misty saw Ash his confused look. She moved back with a red face. "N-nothing..."

"No, you said something about wanting to see my forehead." Said Ash.

"I didn't...just forget it and hand that sandwich over!"

"Don't change the subject." Ash moved closer to her. "You want to see my forehead? Why the hell..."

"Because you're always wearing that damn cap! But it doesn't matter! Give me the sandwich back! I..."

Ash moved even closer so that he was just a few inches away from her. The sandwich he was holding fell flat onto the ground. He took his cap off. Misty could feel her heart pounding loudly. He went with his hand through his hair, exposing his forehead. He moved closer and closer and ticked with his forehead against hers. He was staring at her with a smile.

"I don't have a scar here or anything." said Ash. "But...you wanted to see it for some reason...you're really weird, you know that?"

Misty could barely breathe. "R-right...wait, I'm not weird...you are the one who is..."

Ash ignored her words. With his free hand he moved to her hair. He went through her hair. It felt soft. Strange, he expected it to be spiky. Or full with gel. How did she even push that hair into that side ponytail and keep it up? He stopped going through her hair and moved down to her arm.

Misty her breath stocked in her throat.

They were almost never alone. And when they were they would bicker and bicker for an eternity.

But now...he was touching her without them fighting...

He gently rubbed his hand over her arm up and down. Misty kept looking at him. It was like time stopped.

"M-Misty..." whispered Ash. He stopped rubbing her arm and took her chin in his hand. He looked down at her lips. She was very beautiful. Too beautiful to be wrapped up in his dark world. He was afraid of losing her. But if they were able to defeat Team Force he would leave her at Cerulean again. There she would be able to live normally again.

"Ash?" Asked Misty. "You okay?"

Ash suddenly moved his hand away from Misty. He moved back and put his cap back on. "Yeah, yeah...just thinking some stuff."

"Some stuff?" Misty looked down with a slight blush. What was he...she suddenly noticed the sandwich on the floor. She shrieked. It was completely ruined.

"Ash! Your sandwich!" Yelled Misty.

"Oh that!" Ash grinned again. "That's too bad...shall we split your sandwich?"

"Sure."

* * *

A hour later they arrived in Goldenrod. It was already night.

They went to a nearby motel and immediately fell down onto the bed.

"I. Am. Dead." Said Ash with a sigh.

"Pikachu."

They both lay down onto the bed. Pikachu lay between them, exhausted.

Misty turned her head and looked at Ash. "Ash...about Giovanni. Why are you doing what he tells you too?"

"Because he is my father. And it keeps him off my back if I do a few assignments here and there..."

"Ash..."

He sighed and looked up at the ceiling. He didn't knew how he even got into this mess. One day he just found out who his father was. They talked and Giovanni was nice for once. Before he knew it, they were in contact again.

He hated it.

Misty and Pikachu looked at him with a worried look. Ash glanced and noticed their looks. He chuckled a little.

"Don't worry, Pika-pal, Mist...I'm fine. Really."

They kept staring at him. Ash looked back at the ceiling.

Pikachu suddenly jumped onto his chest. Ash let out a big 'oomph'. He groaned a bit in pain while Pikachu nuzzled against his chest.

Misty smiled at this. It was always so cute when Pikachu and Ash were together. Even though she wished she had a Pikachu. Once she even told Ash that she would trade a Caterpie for his little mouse. When they were kids...

She took his hand into hers. Ash turned his head towards her with a confused gaze.

"Ash, I believe in you." Said Misty. "And we can do this, okay?"

Ash chuckled. "Of course we can! Nothing can stop me and my team! Pikachu and Ash will win!"

"Pika!"

Misty couched in sarcasm.

"Okay and Misty." Said Ash.

"Ash!" Misty clenched his hand a bit tighter. Ash groaned. He tried to pull his hand back, but she was holding him very tightly.

Ash ignored the pain in his hand and looked back up at the ceiling. Without his friends he wouldn't have come this far. Without his friends...he glanced back at Misty who was still glaring at him.

He wouldn't even be alive.

TO BE CONTINUED


	3. Chapter 3

"Ash, I believe in you." Said Misty. "And we can do this, okay?"

Ash chuckled. "Of course we can! Nothing can stop me and my team! Pikachu and Ash will win!"

"Pika!"

Misty couched in sarcasm.

"Okay and Misty." Said Ash.

"Ash!" Misty clenched his hand a bit tighter. Ash groaned. He tried to pull his hand back, but she was holding him very tightly.

Ash ignored the pain in his hand and looked back up at the ceiling. Without his friends he wouldn't have come this far. Without his friends...he glanced back at Misty who was still glaring at him.

He wouldn't even be alive.

* * *

 _CHAPTER THREE_

* * *

"We are never going to find their headquarters."

"Pika."

Ash glared at Misty and Pikachu. They were in Goldenrod city, looking for the headquarters of team Force. They had been looking around for hours, but couldn't find it.

Pikachu was on Misty's shoulder and looked at her.

"Pikachu-pi, pikachu pika pika pika..."

Misty nodded. "I know, pikachu. The next time we ask someone."

Ash had enough and gave her a push. "Then you ask someone! Don't follow me if you think I'm wrong!"

Misty huffed and puffed her chest out. "Maybe I will!"

"Maybe you should!"

"Fine!"

"Good!"

Misty turned around and walked over to some guy with blue hair and a squirtle by his side. He wore a light blue suit with a symbol of a spark on it.

Ash narrowed his eyes. He saw that guy somewhere before...but where..and when...?

"Mister?" Misty asked the young man.

The man looked at her with a smile. Misty blushed a little.

"Uhm...so...you...do you might know where the headquarters of team Force is? Me and my friend want to meet them."

The guy suddenly started to laugh. Misty nervously took a few steps back and grabbed Ash by his upper arm.

"Another fan!" The man pulled his short hair back and held his arm in a place while keeping his leg up in a certain pose. His squirtle almost made the same pose. "My name is Darian! I am the watertrainer of team Force and the one with the most flow!"

"Squirtle, squirtle!" His small squirtle said with a smile.

Ash chuckled a little. "Most flow? That is sure something to say..."

"It is!" Darian moved forward and bowed down to the eye-level of Misty since he was a little bit taller. "I've seen your sisters on tv before...you must be Misty Waterflower! The gymleader!"

"You know us?" Misty hid behind Ash.

Darian chuckled. "Yes! And..." He stood up straight again and pointed towards Ash. "Ash Ketchum! One of the best trainers in the whole wide world! Tell me, are you two dating?"

"No way! I don't like him/her!" Ash and Misty said in unison.

Darian laughed. "Of course...two trainers in denial...anyhow, how about you two come with me for some tea? We don't visitors this often and you can meet the other team mates!"

Misty released Ash his arm with a big blush. She didn't thought that she was in denial...they just weren't going to be together. Mostly because Ash could be so immature and dumb and slow and...

Ash glanced at Misty. She had that look of evil on her face, that she had whenever she thought that Ash did something again or whenever her sisters were teasing her.

He looked back at Darian. "Fine. We have come a long way, it would be nice to drink something."

Darian smiled and they walked to the building.

* * *

They went through a long hallway into a big room. There was a couch and a low table.

There were three guys in the room. A guy with silver hair and a Absol by his side was bickering with a brownish haired man. Another guy was sitting on the couch, reading a magazine. They all wore the same uniform, except for the man on the couch who had a grey uniform with a red spark.

"These are my other teammates!" Darian yelled. "Come on, guys, introduce yourselves to our guests!"

One of the guys stopped bickering and walked towards Ash. He extended his hand and smiled. It was the guy with the silver hair. He had sparkling yellow eyes.

"My name's Jared. Nice to meet you." His voice was soft and more gentle than Darian's voice.

"Cool. I'm Ash." Ash grabbed his hand and shook his hand. "And these are Pikachu and Misty."

"I see. So you are the trainer I saw on tv lately...you are pretty good."

Misty glared at them. They both acted as if she wasn't there...that guy only seemed interested in Ash.

"Thanks..." Ash released his hand and nodded.

Jared laughed and put his arms behind his head. "So you want to be a master, right?"

"Yeah."

"Great...perhaps we should battle...and..."

Jared was suddenly pushed away by the guy with the brownish hair.

"Jared, you are annoying them!" The man yelled.

Ash, Pikachu and Misty looked in confusion at the stranger. The man laughed and made a small bow.

"I'm so sorry for his behaviour." The man straightened his back again. "My name is Leo! As you can see I specialize in bug-type pokemon!" His butterfree made a small twirl.

Misty shrieked and hid behind Ash again. She hated bugs...even though that butterfree was really pretty...she couldn't bear the thought of it being a caterpie once.

"Great! I had a butterfree when I was little!" Ash laughed. "I caught it for the first time..."

"Hey."

Everyone stopped chatting and looked at the guy on the couch. He stood up with an annoyed. He then walked over to Ash and Misty and grabbed Misty's hand and placed a kiss on it.

He looked up at her with his dark-blue eyes.

"It's too bad that no one recognizes this beautiful flower in the midst of their obsession about Ketchum."

"It's fine...really..." Misty became completely red. What was this man saying?

"Oh, really...Misty Waterflower?" The man released her hand and smiled at her. "My name is Nathan. I specialize in all kind of pokemon, but I love my seviper the most, of course..."

"Ssseviper..." His Seviper hissed in agreement.

"Oh.." Misty could almost bite on her own tongue. There was a handsome guy in front of her, complimenting her instead of insulting her and she could only say 'oh'.

Ash looked at Nathan. Was he flirting with Misty? Not that it bothered him, but it was just the way he was doing it...

"Is there something wrong, Ketchum?" Nathan asked.

Ash shook his head. "No. Come on, Mist, let's drink some tea."

Misty nodded. They all sat down while a butler poured some tea for them and put some sweets down onto the table.

Pikachu got a bottle of ketchup.

"So, Ash, what brings you to Goldenrod?" Asked Jared.

Ash scratched his head. "I wanted to check out one of your shows together with my friend...she is a pretty big fan, right, Mist?"

Misty looked confused at him. She saw them on tv, but to say that she was a big fan...

Ash gave her a 'play-along'-look and she quickly regained her composure.

"Uhm...yeah?" Misty nodded slowly. Ash rolled with his eyes at her. Misty frowned and gave him a poke.

"Oh, really?" Nathan laughed. "Then, what is the color of my eyes?"

Misty raised her eyebrows. "Eh?! That is not fair!"

Nathan put his hand in front of his eyes. "No peeking! Come on, you must have seen countless photo's of me, Mist!"

Ash pouted. _Mist_ was his nickname for her. That guy..

"Come on, lemme see..." Misty tried to pull his hand away, but Nathan resisted.

"Only if you come to our show tomorrow!"

"There is a show tomorrow?" Ash and Misty asked in unison.

Nathan laughed. He slowly put his hand down onto Misty's shoulder and looked at her. "Yes, there is..."

Ash jumped up and clenched his fist. "Great! We are going!"

Misty looked up at him. "Both of us?"

"Why wouldn't we? Think of it as a repayment!" Ash winked at her and gave her a thumbs-up.

Misty sweat dropped. "Repayment of what?"

"Your bike?"

She jumped up and hit him on his head. "Idiot! You already repayed that!"

"Then, the morning that I accidentally put my hand onto your..."

Misty gave him another slap. Ash rubbed his head in pain and glared at her. "You don't have to hit that hard, Mist."

"Shut up! You idiot!"

"How cute are you two..." Jared stood up and sighed. "But I bet you two cuties don't have a place to sleep..."

Misty and Ash both gave him a weird look. Did he just call them 'cuties'?

Jared didn't take any notice of it. "How about you and I have a battle, Ash? If you win, you two can stay the night in one of our guest rooms...if not, then you two need to share a room inside a motel."

"You're on!" Yelled Ash and Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder.

"Great!"

Jared and Ash were both ready to battle.

* * *

Later they were in the battle room. A big room with two stands for the trainers, a big field of sand for the pokemon and a side were Nathan, Misty and Darian could watch.

"Alright!" Nathan yelled. "It will be an one-on-one battle between Ash Ketchum and Jared! Let's begin!"

Jared grabbed a pokeball and threw it onto the field.

"Go, Absol!"

An Absol appeared onto the field. It had fluffy white hair and red eyes. It growled loudly and put his feet into the sand.

"An Absol, hm..." Ash grinned a little. "Then...I choose Pikachu!"

"Pika!" Pikachu jumped into the arena.

"A Pikachu against an Absol? Isn't it a little too weak?"

"Oh, we are going to show you! Pikachu, quick attack!" Ash yelled.

"Absol, double team!"

Pikachu towards his target, but missed him. Ash gritted his teeth. He had to stay calm.

"Now, Absol, ice beam!"

The real Absol appeared again and fired an ice beam towards Pikachu. Pikachu jumped up and avoided it barely.

"Another ice beam!"

Pikachu kept avoiding it. And Absol kept throwing ice beams at the small yellow pokemon.

Jared glared at Ash. "And you are one of the strongest trainers?! You can't keep avoiding my ice beams!"

Ash kept quiet for a few seconds before he suddenly smiled mischievously. Jared stopped glaring at him and looked at him with widened eyes.

"I'm not avoiding your attacks, Jared..."

Pikachu stopped avoiding the ice beam.

"Absol, stop!" Jared yelled. "He...there is ice everywhere!"

Absol landed on both of his feet. He looked uncertain at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, volt tackle. But not really."

Jared was confused. "Not really?"

Pikachu started to run around with electricity surrounding it's body. It ran past every icicle on the ground.

Darian leaned closer to Misty and whispered: "What is your boyfriend doing?"

Misty sighed. "He is not my boyfriend...but..." She stared at Ash. There was a little blue glint in his eyes. Something she never noticed before. "He is doing something...something that is also new to me...wait..."

She looked at the ice. It slowly started to melt because of Pikachu's body heat and electricity.

Misty gasped. "He is..."

"It's a trick..." Muttered Nathan. "Your boyfriend is tricking him."

"He is not my boyfriend."

Nathan looked at Misty and chuckled. "Oh really? Then you wouldn't mind it if you and I would go on a date after tomorrow's show."

Misty became red. "Wait, what?"

Pikachu stopped moving. All the ice had melted. Jared stared in awe. There was now a water path in the sand, which was leading towards Absol.

"Thunder, Pikachu." Said Ash calmly.

"Pika...chu!"

A big thunderbolt went into the water towards Absol.

"Absol, jump!"

Absol jumped away from the lightning with a loud sound.

"Too slow!" Ash put his hand forward. "Finish him off, Pikachu!"

"Pika-pikachu!"

Pikachu jumped towards Absol who was distracted by the lightning. His tail lit up and he hit Absol with his iron tail.

Abol fainted and fell down onto the ground. Pikachu proudly stood on his two legs. Electricity was still sparking a little form his body.

"Pi-pikachu!"

"Ash wins!" Yelled Darian.

"We've won!" Ash yelled. Pikachu jumped into his arms and hugged his trainer. Ash turned around towards Misty and the other two men. "Misty, did you see that..."

Misty was blushing heavily while Nathan was smiling from ear to ear. Jared called his pokemon back and walked with Ash and Pikachu towards the others.

Jared looked at Nathan. "Nathaniel...what is going on here?"

"He just asked Misty out on a date." Said Darian. "But she didn't give him an answer yet. Figures."

Ash cocked his head. "Oh?"

"Pika?" Pikachu cocked his head too.

"I just..uhm..I..." Misty didn't knew what to say. She almost never had been asked out before.

"Misty, let's talk." Ash grabbed her arm without hesitation and pulled her away from the man. They stood a few meters away from the others when Ash released her arm and Misty gave him a small push afterwards.

"What is your problem? Just because a boy asks me out..."

Ash shook his head. "Not my problem. This is actually very good...with that date you can get more information from him, while I try and get info from the other two guys."

"Right..." Misty sighed. "And you are not jealous?"

"Not one bit. Tomorrow after the event you can go on a date with that guy..."

"And what if we fall in love?"

Ash folded his arms. "That might be troublesome."

Misty perked up. Was he jealous? Did Ash Ketchum, the guy who had no sense for romance, finally felt something...

"We are here on a job, Misty. Don't get a relationship with the enemy."

Misty glared at him. What? He really didn't care about her...she should have known...She turned her back on him with a groan. "Then that is your problem!" She then walked back to the others with a smile. "Nathan!"

Nathan turned around. "Yeah?"

"Tomorrow evening. At 7."

Nathan smiled. "Sure. I will wait for you in the living room, my lady."

"You better be."

"What did you and Ash talk about?" Asked Darian.

"Just some small talk...about strategies...nothing more."

Darian laughed and gave her a hard slap on her shoulder. "Alright! Now, did you know that this isn't the first time that Jared lost a battle? He is very bad."

"I'm not!" Jared glared at Darian. "Like you would win against a champion!"

Nathan laughed along while the two argued. He then saw in the corner of his eye that Ash was looking down at the ground while his Pikachu was petting his head. Nathan chuckled.

He was going to take that boy down.

* * *

The next morning the show started. Misty and Ash were both looking on from the stands.

There was a big crowd. And a giant stage. Misty looked at the members who were standing on the stage with the microphones in their hands.

Jared threw his arms up. "Welcome boys and girls! Are you excited for today's show?"

The crowd cheered. Ash raised his eyebrows. _They sure were popular..._

Darian grabbed a poke ball from his pocket and threw it forward. His Squirtle appeared with a flash on the stage. All the girls in the audience screamed and Misty and Ash covered their ears.

Darian pulled his hair back and him and his Squirtle put their arms above their heads while keeping their leg up in a certain pose.

"The water-team! Me and my Squirtle can swim through every ocean on our own!"

The crowd clapped loudly and cheered. Ash leaned closer to Misty and whispered: "What is happening right now?"

Misty shrugged. She herself also had no idea. It looked as if they were some sort of boyband?

Jared also released his pokemon from his poke ball. This time it was his normal Absol. They two also struck a pose with Jared making an 'x' with his arms against his chest and Absol jumping in front of him.

"The team of darkness and mystery! That is who we are!"

The crowd, mostly girls, cheered again while Misty and Ash were a bit confused.

Leo now also called out his pokemon, his normal Butterfree. Leo struck a cool pose and Butterfree twirled around him.

"The grass is always greener on our side! We are the flying and bug type team!"

Misty grasped Ash his arm and shivered. "Oh no...I hate bugs..."

Ash chuckled. "But Mist..." He gave a small poke on her forehead. "This is a beautiful Butterfree."

"I don't care...bugs are bugs..."

Now it was Nathan's turn. With a focused look in his eyes he threw his poke ball upward. A big red flash appeared and a bug/steel/mythical creature appeared on the stage. Ash felt all the hairs on his arm stand up.

 _What the helll..._

It was a big Genesect. A pokemon with a metal body and a saucer shaped head. Each arm of the creature ended in a sharp claw. It slowly walked back to his master and calmly stood next to it. But it kept its red eyes in the crowd.

Nathan laughed and put his hand on the head of the Genesect.

"Now, we are all one team together! We are..."

"Team Force!"

The members all yelled in unison. Every girl in the audience screeched at the men. A few roses were even thrown at them. Ash and Misty both looked at the event. It was something that seemed a lot like an other certain team they once seen.

"Now! Let's begin!" Darian put his arm up towards the sky. "Go, use ice-beam!"

Squirtle jumped up and shot a ice-beam towards the sky. Everyone in the audience looked up. The ice spikes stayed afloat in the air...

Jared pulled his hair back and grinned as all the girl squealed. "Absol, use hail!"

His Absol used hail and it started to snow. Pikachu shivered and sneezed a little. Ash chuckled and gave his Pokemon a reassuring pat on his head.

After Jared it was Leo and Nathan's time to shine. They both bumped with their shoulders again each other and put their hands forward.

"Butterfree!"

"Genesect!"

"Use Aerial ace!" The both yelled in unison.

Their pokemon flew up into the air. White flames engulfed around their bodies. Butterfree cut two of the spikes and Genesect cut the others ones. They all turned into dust and it rained onto the audience. Misty held her hand up and looked up in awe. She had never something so beautiful...

Their pokemon all returned to their sides. The team struck a pose with their pokemon in front of them. Everyone started to clap and cheer.

"Thank you, thank you..." Nathan held his arms up. "But there is one more small thing..."

The audience stopped clapping. One more thing? What could it be?

"I want my soon to-be-girlfriend to get on the stage!"

Everyone in the audience screamed in confusion. Ash, Misty and Pikachu both experienced their first heart attack as they got as confused as the audience.

"G-g-girlfriend?!" Misty put her hands on both sides of her cheeks and blushed heavily. "Oh no, what do I do?! Oh no..."

Ash suddenly put his hand against her back. He looked down at the ground without daring to face her.

"Mist. Go."

"Eh? But?"

Ash leaned closer to her and whispered: "You need to get close to him or otherwise we won't get the information on this team...remember, everyone we do here is just for the job. We are just pretending."

Misty swallowed. "R-right...this is just all pretend..."

She gathered her courage and walked up on the stage. Everyone made a huge noise as Misty walked up to Nathan with a big blush.

Nathan smiled at her and grabbed her hand. He gave it a small squeeze before planting a kiss on it. After that he straightened his back and turned to face the audience.

"This is Misty and she will be my new girlfriend, if everything goes well! Now, ladies, that means that you can't get with me anymore! I'm taken!"

All the girls in the audience booed and Nathan laughed. He looked around the audience and saw Ash who looked a bit disappointed.

Nathan smirked.

Misty, on the other hand, felt a painful feeling in her chest. It was strange, it was like...a strange feeling that told her that she wrong to stand on the stage like this while Ash was someone she cared more about...why were they even doing stuff like this?

 _Oh yeah..._

Misty shook her head and smiled forcefully.

 _It was just pretend._

 _TO BE CONTINUED_

( S _hort chapter, I know! Sorry, I was busy and the next chapter will be longer!)_

 _(Also, sorry for being so absent with this story and couple lately! -_- )_


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